Another Star In The Sky
by 5t4c3y
Summary: "She jus' pulled me in for a hug, wiped my tears away and said 'He's another star in the sky, Daryl' ...After Carl is shot, Daryl tries to comfort Rick by opening up about his life before the apocalypse. WARNING INSIDE...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys, so I got this idea a couple of weeks ago and thought that I would give it a bash at trying to put it down into words lol. Hopefully you'll all enjoy :-)**

**Please note that a few things in this story have been changed, like ages and such. Takes place during the episode 'Cherokee Rose' :-)**

**Summary: "She jus' pulled me in for a hug, wiped my tears away and said 'He's another star in the sky, Daryl'...After Carl is shot, Daryl tries to comfort Rick by opening up about his life before the apocalypse. **

**Warning: THIS STORY TALKS ABOUT LOSING A CHILD. IF ANYONE FINDS THIS TOPIC DIFFICULT, PLEASE DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO READ. NO OFFENSE WILL BE TAKEN.**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: Alas, I own nothing...not even the laptop I'm writing this on...**  
**…**

_**Another Star In The Sky**_  
_*********_

_I love you, Dad..._It was something only hours ago, Rick believed he would never hear from his son again. Four little words that he had been taking for granted for the past ten years. He had never known a time in his life where he had felt as helpless...as useless as he had when staring at Carl lying in that bed; watching with growing fear as he stood at death's door.

After leaving his son to rest, the tiredness that Rick had once felt quickly left. He had tried catching an hour of sleep, but it had been futile. After Lori had returned to the house she had immediately gone in to sit with Carl. Not wanting to disturb her, Rick quietly got dressed and headed outside.

Immediately greeted by the cooling night air, Rick stepped out onto the rickety porch and looked out onto the farm that had quickly become their haven. The place was perfect. Secluded. Secure. They could build a life for themselves. But as the thoughts of building a life came to mind, images of Carl's broken fragile body invaded his thoughts. Running his hands over his face, Rick took a seat on one of the steps and let out a deep sigh.

Stomping through the night, Daryl Dixon had tried hard to ignore Rick sitting on the porch. Just like he had tried hard to ignored how torn up he looked. Shaking his head slightly he forced himself to carry on towards his tent, but the further he tried to walk the slower her realised he was going. Stopping in his tracks, Daryl turned to look at his groups new leader, his heart lurching a little as he saw the brokenness in his eyes.

"Aww, shit..." He hissed, angry with himself as he about turned and headed towards the worn down man before him "Rick! Hey Rick!"

Snapping his head up, Rick almost groaned as he watched Daryl slowly approaching. It wasn't that he didn't like the guy, it was just he couldn't deal with anymore drama or anger, and wherever Daryl was, a short temper wasn't far behind.

"What is it, Daryl?" He asked, his voice tired as the rough bowman came to a stop next to him.

"Was jus'..." Daryl began with a mumble before clearing his throat "Was jus' wonderin' how you were holdin' up..."

Rick stared at Daryl, a little shocked if he was totally honest. It was no secret amongst the group that the hunter didn't have the best people skills, but as he stood in front of him in obvious discomfort, Rick could do nothing but give a small smile.

"Actually, Daryl..." He began, looking down at his feet "I don't have a clue what to do..."

Weary at first, Daryl came and stood on the step next to Rick, leaning against the railing as he tried hard to rake some words of comfort together.

"I, uh...I've not really shared much with the group. You know, 'bout life 'fore the world went and gone to shit..." He finally muttered, scratching the back of his neck as Rick continued to stare at his feet "Think everyone jus' sees me as the angry redneck who caused a lot of shit with his dumbass brother..."

"I can see why they think that..." Rick replied with a small nod, looking up at Daryl as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Look, you wanna listen or not!?" Daryl asked, his voice rough as he glared down at him "I'm tryin' here..."

With remorse, Rick kicked the dirt at his feet.

"Sorry..." He sighed, running a hand though his ever growing locks "I'm sorry, Daryl...Please..."

Still slightly pissed, Daryl gave a small nod, the words that he had gathered together now a jumble in his mind and mouth.

"...Alright then..." He stuttered, clearing his throat slightly as he gathered his thoughts together once again "You uh-...You probably won't believe me when I tell you, but I...I've been where you're at, Rick."

A little confused, Rick turned to look at Daryl, his trusty crossbow slung over his shoulder as he leaned up against one of the posts of the porch. He watched as the brooding man shifted slightly, discomfort evident on his face as he tried desperately to avoid eye-contact. Clearing his throat once again, Daryl finally looked down, a hand quickly running through his own hair.

"Couple of years ago..." He began, looking out into the fields as he took a seat next to Rick "Merle and I were driftin' about, goin' town to town, stirrin' shit up...We ended up stoppin' off in this one lil' town. Place was borin' as hell, but by that time we were runnin' low on cash so we really had no choice but to stay for a while."

Slinging off his crossbow, Daryl sat it down gently behind him, turning slightly to lean up against the post once more as he looked at Rick.

"I was good with my hands, y'know..." He carried on, Rick listening intently as he spoke "I ended up gettin' a job on an old farm jus' outside of town fixin' up some of the equipment. Seemed easy enough. Get some dough together 'fore we moved on, y'know?" Nodding slightly, Rick turned to face Daryl until he was leaning against one of the posts himself "...That was until I met the girl who cleaned the stables."

He couldn't help but smile slightly as Daryl chuckled a little at the memory, all anger which he once held seeming to disappear.

"I swear, Rick..." He smirked, shaking his head slightly "I ain't never been one of these love struck pussy-whipped assholes, but _damn_, she was the most beautiful lookin' thing that I had ever laid eyes on..."

"Don't sound like a love struck pussy-whipped asshole at all, Dixon..." Rick chuckled, a playfulness in his voice "What happened there?"

"Man, she wanted nothin' to do with me." Daryl laughed, causing him to smile a little "Tried everythin' to get her attention, so I did."

"Sounds very unlike you." Rick commented, stretching his legs out along the stairs.

"Don't think I didn't know that?" Daryl questioned "Damn girl had me jumpin' through hoops for her. Never met no one like her in my whole life. Tried bein' flirty. Didn't work. Tried to keep to myself and act all mysterious, and that didn't work neither...But I could tell that she liked the attention, y'know? Don't think she was too used to it. She'd smile a little every time she saw me...sway her hips a little when she passed..."

"She nervous?" Rick asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"She was a fuckin' tease." Daryl mumbled with a smirk "_Eventually, _she cut me some slack. Came to me one day askin' me to 'educate' her on fixin' up cars. Found out then that it was her parents that owned the farm, an' they didn't care too kindly for me...Only reason I was there was 'cause I was good at the job"

"You didn't know she was the farmers daughter!?" Rick laughed, clapping his hands a little as Daryl let out a chuckle of his own "Oh man...ain't no 'love struck pussy-whipped asshole' my ass! Thought that would have been the _first_ thing you would have figured out!"

Laughing, Daryl ran a hand through his dirty hair, a hint of a blush creeping up his cheeks as Rick busted his balls.

"Yeah, well glad you find it all so amusin'." He smirked, kicking Rick's boot slightly.

Nudging him back slightly, Rick was happy to see Daryl relax for the first time really since they had met. A side of the redneck which he knew he could get used to.

"So what did ya'll do?" He asked, his laughter subsiding slightly.

"...We kept thing's secret." Daryl replied "We'd sneak off to the barn for some alone time. Or sometimes I'd climb into her window at night...I just wanted to be near her, y'know?"

Smiling once gain, Rick began to nod, picking at a sliver of wood on the step.

"Oh,I can relate there." He said "When Lori and I started dating, her Daddy practically camped out on his porch at night with his shotgun in hand."

"You must of been stupid enough to get caught one night then." Daryl mumbled, the mood shifting as he began to play with the string on his crossbow "...She was only 17 when she told me she was pregnant and by that time Merle and I had managed to get some cash together. We was getting' ready to move on and it had been killin' me the thought of leavin' her...The day I went to tell her was the day that she told me...Minute I saw her she pulled me to the side of the barn cryin'. Thought she knew I was leavin' at first, but she didn't. When she told me about the baby I knew I had to stay...I couldn't leave her. Merle weren't too please with it though..."

Pulling a cigarette out from his pocket, Daryl lit it and stared up at the sky, frightened to look Rick in the eye as he took a long drag.

"I begged her to tell her parents about us..." He carried on, blowing a cloud of smoke into the night air "But she wouldn't. Said she was 'too scared to lose me'...Told everyone she didn't know who the daddy was...Girl lost her good name all 'cause I forgot to suit up..."

"And her parents didn't suspect a thing?" Rick asked in shock, leaning forward slightly as Daryl shook his head, the burning cigarette between his teeth as he looked down "What happened through the pregnancy?"

"It was hard..." He admitted, another cloud of smoke escaping past his lips "I didn't get to do what every other father could. Didn't get to go to the scans...Didn't get to feel her belly when the baby kicked for the first time...Her parents were clueless that the guy who did this to their baby girl was workin' on their land...I was fortunate enough to be there when she went into labour though." Smiling, Daryl finally looked up "Ended up havin' to take her to the hospital. But s'far as her Daddy knew, I was only there by chance."

"Did you get to hold the baby?" Rick asked as Daryl flicked away the burnt out cigarette butt.

The memories of holding Carl for the first time burned in Rick's mind as if it had only been yesterday. The waves of emotions that overtook him were something that he would hate any new father to miss out on.

"Yeah, I got to hold him." Daryl finally replied, a small smile tugging at his lips as he thought back to that eventful night "Damned surprised that I didn't give myself away there and then. Couldn't keep the tears back."

Rick could only chuckle softly. The image of Daryl crying seeming foreign to him.

"Yeah, I was the same with Carl..." He smiled, crossing his arms over his chest a little "I take it it was a boy then?" Daryl nodded "What did ya'll call him?"

"...Joshua..." He replied softly, a sadness in his voice "We called him Joshua..."

"Do...Do you mind me askin' what happened there?" Rick practically whispered.

There was silence for a second, Daryl swallowing back the lump that was beginning to rise in his throat.

"...He got real sick..." He finally answered, his voice a little weak as he thought back to his son "He was only 12 weeks old. Doctors kept tellin' his momma that it was a virus. That he'd be fine with some antibiotics...I could see he was gettin' worse though. Every nap he took I was wonderin' if I'd ever see him open his eyes again...I sneaked into her room every night just to say 'goodnight' to him..."

Rick could feel the sadness radiating off of the man in front of him. The pain in his voice evident as he spoke about the son no one knew about.

"Then one mornin'..." Daryl began, his eyes a little glassy as he snapped Rick out of his thoughts "I walked onto the farm to start my day's work when I was greeted by her daddy...He told me that I could go home for the day 'cause his little grandson had gone to sleep the night before...and jus' didn't wake up..."

"Oh, man...I'm sorry, Daryl..." Rick said, placing a hand on his shoulder "I am, I'm sorry."

"...Thanks..." He replied with a soft smile "...I took it so bad, y'know. Didn't handle the emotions as well as his Momma did. She was devastated, but she weren't angry. I remember one night we were out by the barn, and I was jus' shoutin' and screamin', askin' her why this sorta thing happened...demandin' an answer from her...An' y'know what she said to me?"

"What d'she say?" Rick asked, his own voice threatening to betray him at any given moment

"She jus' pulled me in for a hug, wiped my tears away and said '_He's another star in the sky, Daryl...We may not understand now but one day we will..._'. I didn't want to listen to her then, but lookin' back now I understand...My little boy was saved from all _this_...all this chaos. If he were here today he still wouldn't be livin'...he'd jus' be existin'."

They were both silent for a while, staring up at the cloudless sky.

"So, I know what it's like, Rick..." Daryl said, breaking their silence "I know what it's like watchin' your own son fight for his life. I know what it's like wonderin' if they're ever goin' to open their eyes again...Even now, the way the world is, nothin' prepares you for it..."

With a sad smile, Rick placed a hand on his shoulder once again, giving it a tight squeeze before standing up.

"Carl's strong, Rick..." Daryl carried on, looking up from his position on the step "I have no doubt in my mind that he'll pull through. That he'll live and not jus' exist...Ain't no place up in that sky for him jus' yet..."

"...Thank you, Daryl..." He smiled softly, reaching a hand out and helping his new friend to his feet "I really mean it...thank you. And I'm sorry about your little boy. I'm sorry about Joshua..."

Not knowing what to say, Daryl could only give a small nod as Rick made his way back into the farmhouse. Back into his family. With a deep sigh, he pulled his last cigarette, contemplating lighting it before stuffing it back into his pocket. Turning back to face the house, he stared at the door. Arguing inwardly whether to go in or not. With a frustrated groan he snatched up his crossbow and walked away.

He managed to avoid everyone as he past the camp, his eyes briefly meeting Carol's as he trudged forward. _Don't follow me _he had pleaded inwardly _Please don't follow me_. He couldn't bear to look at her knowing that she was missing her daughter. Knowing that she was trusting him to save her child when he wasn't even able to save his own. But as he continued on on his trek, the one set of eyes that he had fallen in love with all those years ago burned into the back of him. She could follow him, and he was begging she would.

He pushed on until coming to a stop in the middle of the familiar field. Looking round and making sure it was safe from walkers, Daryl dropped his crossbow to the ground before lowering himself down and lying back. It was a clear night. The sky the clearest he had seen in a long time. The last time Daryl remembered seeing the sky as full of stars was when he would camp out under them with her.

After Joshua's funeral had passed and things had began to get back to some semblance of normality they had both agreed that it would be best if he and Merle moved on. It had been hard, and it had sure as hell been painful, but both knew that at the time it had been right. They met up out in the very field he now lay, kissed one final time, and said 'goodbye'.

Their I love You's never crossed their lips, but both knew they weren't needed.

Daryl lay there thinking for what felt like hours. Thinking of life before the world had gone to shit. Thinking of life before he had met her, but he was soon snapped out of his daze when the sound of soft footsteps made their way towards him. _She followed me_... Smiling, he didn't even have to look to see who it was, but he couldn't stop himself. It had been so long since he had laid eyes on her that all he wanted to do was take her in.

"Was wonderin' how long it would take you to come out here and give me a proper greetin'..." He smirked, reaching a hand out to pull her down next to him.

"I've come out here every night since you left, Daryl Dixon." She replied with a soft smile, gently reaching out to touch his cheek "...Every night..."

Smiling, Daryl couldn't stop himself from drawing her close to him, his hand fisting itself in her hair as he pulled her in for one long awaited kiss.

"...I missed you." He mumbled, his grip on her tightening "I couldn't believe it when I saw you standin' there today...After I left..." His voice broke slightly, that familiar feeling of guilt washing over him "...I thought I was never goin' to see you again."

Daryl had never been a big believer in miracles. Coincidences, yes, but miracles, absolutely not. Especially after Joshua had died. But as he and his friends drove down the dusty road towards Hershel's farm that morning to meet Rick, he began to accept that maybe miracles did happen. His mind had been so preoccupied as of late that he hadn't fully registered where he was until she ran out onto the porch to greet them all. To see her standing there alive and well was proof enough to him that miracles happen.

"I guess God had different plans for us than we had for ourselves." She giggled, pulling back slightly to look him in the eye "I ain't goin' to let you go this time..."

Smiling up at her, Daryl pulled her in for another kiss, his grip round her waist tightening.

"I love you, Beth..." He whispered, pulling back to look into her baby blues "I love you. There's so much I wanted to say to you over the last few years that I wish I had said when I was here. You know, with Joshua and all...but after I left I just..."

"Ssh..." She began, cutting him off "I love you too, Daryl. I love you too. That's all that matters. We don't need to dwell on the things we should of done or the things that we should have said. All that matters now is that we found each other again..."

Smiling, Daryl gave a small nod, Beth brushing his shaggy hair out of his eyes as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"So right now..." She carried on, looking up to the heavens "Why don't we just spend some time with our Star in the Sky..."  
**…**

**A/N: Well guys, I really hope you enjoyed that. A bit long, I know, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. It was also **_**VERY **_**late when I wrote this, so if there are any mistakes, I am very sorry :)**

**Please leave a little comment to tell me what you all thought (constructive criticism welcomed) :)**


	2. Authors Note

**Hi guys, so I just want to thank everyone for the reviews to this**  
**They were so encouraging, and I'm REALLY glad that you all liked it :)**  
**The reason for this little message however is because I would like to know f you guys would like a prequel of sorts. Daryl, Beth and Joshua's story before the apocalypse?**

**Let me know :)**  
**xxx**


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